Monday, January 28, 2008

Most intense laser in the world developed

A record-breaking beam has been developed at the University of Michigan. Just how powerful is it - and what will it be used for? Is this really the most intense laser in the universe? Yes, that's what scientists working on the HERCULES laser at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor claim. "It is the highest-intensity laser that has been shown," says Karl Krushelnick, a member of the team running the experiment.

The intensity of a laser beam is the amount of energy it delivers per unit time per unit area. This record-breaking beam actually has very low energy - at just 20 joules, it is less than the 8,000 joules stored in a tic tac - but the energy is squeezed into a tiny spot (1.3 micrometres in diameter, about a hundred times thinner than a human hair) for a very short time, just 30 femtoseconds (10-15 seconds).

So the beam has an intensity of 2 x 1022 watts per square centimetre: two orders of magnitude more intense than achieved before. It can also pulse once every 10 seconds. Other, more powerful lasers can pulse, at best, once a minute, and aren't focused on such a small spot.

How did they achieve that? They used a technique called chirped-pulse amplification. The laser beam is stretched out with an optical amplifier to make it last much longer than usual, then it is squeezed back into a shorter pulse.

This boosted the HERCULES titanium sapphire laser from a power of 50 terawatts to 300 terawatts, which was then focussed on a tiny spot to give the recordbusting beam.

Is this the most powerful beam ever? No - petawatt (1015) lasers exist. For example the Astra Gemini laser at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Harwell, U.K., which opened in November, 2007, has a 0.5 petawatt laser.

What will they do with this super-intense beam? Such intense laser light is uncharted territory. The electrons in any material hit by the beam are accelerated to the point that they are almost travelling at the speed of light, transporting those electrons out of the classical world and into relativistic, quantum, territory.

Theoretical possibility Theoretically it could be possible to make the electrons travel so quickly that their mass increases. But for now, applications for the HERCULES high-intensity beam are likely to be in improving and adding to current laser technologies.

For example, such an intense beam might make it possible to have a tool as powerful as the Diamond light source at Rutherford Appleton lab, but taking up a small lab space rather than five football pitches.

There is also a chance that the high-intensity beam could be investigated for its fusion power. At the moment, it is possible to trigger nuclear fusion with a high-energy laser. Krushelnick says that the upgraded HERCULES beam could be used to help understand the physics behind the process.

What if I get caught in the beam? "You'd get a bad burn," says Krushelnick. But it would not be horrific, he adds - remember that the pulse doesn't contain a huge amount of energy and lasts for only 30 femtoseconds.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Dennis lille:

Former Australian cricket player dennis lille is now in Chennai. The best thing about it is that he is going to start a vine yard here in Chennai. He is so confident that this would surely be a success.Lille was on a survey to find out how many people are fond of wines and he was surprised to see that many people in Chennai are fond of it. So he have planned to set up a vine yard in the city.

It seems that he is going to use that are available in the coast of Australia to make this wine.

Let’s wait to get a sip of his wine.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Sri Lanka really needs some coaching:

Sri Lanka is in a very bad position. They have lost it again. Sri lankans have lost their game to Australians in 63 runs. This is so very shocking hat they are not even able to par the other team.

I don’t think any one other than Muthaiah bowled well and no one can forget such a simple catch which was dropped.

One thing which is wondering me is that I don’t know how India lost it to sri lankans.

Anyways lets wait for the match between India and Australia tomo. If India wins this match then the finals would be between India and Australia.

Till then keep ur fingers crossed.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Keep your hair shining:

In order to get a smooth and shining hair go for conditioners. Conditioners are really a great addition. This would stop hair fall and would also make the hair so strong and healthier with a shine.

Using a conditioner is so very simple process. Take your head bath with your regular shampoo as always and then dry your hair. When your hair is dry, take a pulp of conditioner, and spread it over your palm and apply it in ur hair.

Take a comb and gently comb ur hair to spread the conditioner all through ur hair. Rinse after 2 minutes. You could see immediate effects.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

health substitutes

If you are dying to eat something sweet, instead of ice cream, chocolate or sweets, try dry fruits such as raisins, dates and nuts. You can also eat biscuits topped with a little honey or homemade payasam where comparatively lesser amount of sugar has been used.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Dutt’s Goa wedding is off

The Sanjay Dutt-Manyata marriage proceedings of February 7 in Goa stand cancelled after the couple submitted affidavits saying they wished to withdraw proceedings in Goa. The couple were later married under Hindu rites in Mumbai. Controversy dogged the paper work they submitted before a Goa sub-registrar, resulting in an inquiry into a six-month residence certificate Manyata Dilnashin Ahmed Sheikh submitted here.

On Wednesday, the couple’s advocate submitted a joint affidavit to the marriage sub-registrar. The affidavit stated they wished to withdraw registration proceedings in Goa. It said they had wanted to register their marriage under the Special Marriages Act of 1954 but later learnt the act had not been extended to Goa. Sanjay Dutt did not want to comment on the latest development beyond saying, “Manyata and I will address the press at the right time,” while his friend and marriage witness, Bunty Walia, said, “This is the price you pay for being a celebrity.”

Goa still continues civil marriage proceedings under the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867. With the joint affidavit, the couple’s intent-to-marry proceedings stand cancelled, marriage sub-registrar Chandrakant Pissurlekar told mediapersons. Proceedings here go through two stages, an intent to marry and a second formal marriage registration after 10 days. Sanjay Dutt and Manyata had gone through the first stage on February 7.

Meanwhile, questions about her residence certificate will come up on March 7, the date fixed for a showcause hearing before a quasi-judicial government official. In questions that came up over the veracity of her six-month residence certificate, Manyata had been asked to show cause why the certificate should not be revoked.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Trecking

The most thrilling job. I went for a trecking in nilgris and it was just so very good. The entire trip was totally adventures and we were walking around 30 kilo meters a day. we were in the edge of our life. The most thrilling part when we went to the top of the hill. There were heavy winds and it was so cold that a guys jaw got stuck and was not able to move his jaws.Then we took him to the hospital the next day and operated. Far more worse things wee when we went down the hill. It was so very sloppy and slippery that we were full of mud and water. We saw a quagmire and a guy got caught in it. To rescue him was a great deal. There were lots of wild elephants running in the same path infront of us which made our journey even tougher. The walk would be so very tiring that we can see a smiles in all faces when we reach a camp.

It is terribly happy to think of all those things now.